Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' trailer features many a callback to the original Beast Wars CGI show, and proves just how far the franchise has come. Rise of the Beasts will introduce the Maximals, Terrorcons, and Predacons to the Transformers live-action franchise, with the trailer showcasing the new additions. One thing that the trailer makes clear, through its overt references to Beast Wars, is just how impressive the CGI work on the Transformers films has always been.
Since the modern iteration of the franchise began in 2007 with Michael Bay's Transformers, the CGI work on display has been incredibly impressive. Despite the many issues that plagued Michael Bay's outings in the franchise, the visual effects were not one of them. Now, with the official trailer for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the obvious callbacks to early CGI work prove just how well the franchise has evolved.
Transformers Continues To Thrive In CGI Filmmaking
One of the main reasons behind this is the extremely dated CGI work of the original Beast Wars cartoon. As a sequel to The Transformers, the animated 1980s show, Beast Wars became one of the very earliest entirely CGI TV shows between 1996 and 1999. Due to the early status of CGI at that time, the effects naturally look dated in comparison to what is possible now with computer animation. However, despite this disparity in quality, the show only proves that the creatives in charge of Beast Wars were correct to lean into CGI filmmaking, as evident by the Transformers franchise still thriving.
While it is obvious that Transformers, especially Transformers 7, is a franchise that would be overwhelmingly difficult to do practically, and might be nigh impossible, the success of the CGI live-action Transformers cannot be understated. From how well Bay introduced the giant robots in a way that blends with real environments and people to the updates on old G1 designs evident in Bumblebee, the Transformers franchise continues to thrive. This has only been solidified through the trailer for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, with the almost shot-for-shot remakes of some Beast Wars scenes.
Every Beast Wars Callback From The Rise Of The Beasts Trailer
One of the callbacks comes in the form of Optimus Primal, the leader of the Maximals who transforms into a giant gorilla. The trailer for Transformers 7 shows his transformation into a more action-heavy mode, that emulates a shot from the original Beast Wars. Another shot that calls back to Beast Wars is of Cheetor, the aptly named Maximal new to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts who transforms into a cheetah. In the trailer, Cheetor is shown running alongside Bumblebee, a reference to the original Cheetor.
Another Cheetor shot sees him running in cheetah form before vaulting off a rock and transforming to his robot form, a direct reference to a very similar move from his Beast Wars counterpart in which Cheetor also performs a flip mid-transformation. The final callback to Beast Wars is of Rhinox, the Maximals' tech expert and second-in-command. While not as expansive as the other shots, Rhinox is shown roaring directly toward the camera, which is identical to a shot from Beast Wars. All of these shots, which can be viewed in the tweet above, show the disparity in quality but also how Transformers thrives in CGI filmmaking, as evident by the designs in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
